Harry Potter and Project Death Glare
by SlyPenguinQueen
Summary: Harry Potter has a brilliant idea after his second year, why not breed some basilisks? Follow Harry Potter as he trains an army of basilisks to help him, changing the wizarding world forever.
1. Prologue: Potter Plots

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would not be writing fanfiction here.**

**AN: The story starts out in June after the second year, just after Harry Potter returns to Privet Drive. This is my first fanfiction, so please give me advice, but no flames. If you see a spelling or grammatical mistake or spot a plot hole, please let me know and I will fix it. If you dislike the story, make a suggestion, and if you absolutely hate it, then, by all means, stop reading. Thank you.**

**Update Schedule: I will attempt to update multiple times every week, but this little thing called real life might get in the way. Worst case scenario, I'll still update at least once a week.**

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**Prologue: Potter Plots**

Harry Potter was miserable. He defeated the basilisk, defeated diary Voldemort, saved the day once again, and yet here he was, yelled at for "poor gardening technique" despite Petunia proudly winning yet another prize for her precious rose bushes. Aunt Marge would be visiting, with that vile dog Ripper, and he was beginning to feel a sense of hopelessness. Harry understood the allure of power that drove Tom Riddle to find and befriend a basilisk, a powerful companion that would not, could not, betray its master. Suddenly, Harry had an idea, what if he hatched a basilisk himself? As its master, he would have the power to command it, and it may prove helpful in his annual deadly encounter. But where would he get a toad and a fertilized chicken egg? He could not get it himself, there is no way Petunia would let him, if only he could call on someone else to help him. Dobby! Dobby is definitely loyal, Dobby would help! And with that, plots started racing through Harry Potter's mind, and things would change forever.

"Dobby! I need your help!" Harry quietly whispered in the relative safety of his room, hoping not to rouse his relatives.

Dobby popped into the room, eyes wide and ears drooping, proclaiming, "The great Harry Potter needs the help of Dobby! Dobby is honored! Dobby is proud to help good Harry Potter!"

"Shh!" Harry forcefully whispered, "We must not be overheard! Can you quietly retrieve my trunk?"

"Of course, great Harry Potter sir. Dobby will do that right away!" Dobby replied, and he popped away, popping back moments later with trunk in hand.

"Can you cast an expansion charm on it without setting off the underage magic detectors?" Harry asked.

"Anything for you, great sir," Dobby replied, snapping his fingers.

Harry Potter opened the trunk, revealing a set of stairs, and he descended to find its former contents organized on shelves and in cabinets in a small room and found himself impressed. "Dobby, could you add a secret room behind the self?" he requested, and Dobby obliged.

"Pull on the lever behind the books, good Harry Potter sir," Dobby said. Pushing his arm behind the self and searching with his fingers, Harry felt them close around a switch, and with a quick flick, a section of wall fell away to reveal a large chamber.

"Put a shelf there against the back, Dobby, then get me five toads and five fertilized chicken eggs. Oh, and some books about basilisks too," Harry ordered.

Dobby snapped his fingers, making a shelf appear, and popped away again. He soon returned, toads and eggs in hand, and popped away again. Harry carefully placed the eggs on the shelf and the toads on the eggs, keeping the toads in place with a sticking charm to the back of the shelf and the egg and a petrification charm to stop them from moving. Dobby returned soon after, a pile of books levitating behind him, which flew onto the shelf with a flick of his wrists.

"Check on the eggs once in a while, keep them warm, and let me know if they look like they're about to hatch, Dobby. Oh, and can you get me a chair?" Harry requested.

"Dobby is honored to help good Harry Potter sir," Dobby replied, snapping up a comfortable armchair, and Harry picked up the first book on basilisks, sat down on the chair, and began reading.


	2. Chapter 1: Snakey Summer

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would not be writing fanfiction here.**

**AN: There are a lot of time skips in this chapter as I quickly skim past summer, as I've found myself bored by other fanfiction's endless repetition of Harry does chores and feels miserable. The basilisks grow up a little, and Harry does not blow up Aunt Marge because he is preoccupied with the basilisks.**

**"Parseltongue"**

"Normal talking"

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**Chapter 1: Snakey Summer**

An extremely painful month, for Harry at least, has passed, the pain only alleviated by knowledge of his secret plot. By day he would do all of the Dursley's chores, and by night he would check on his basilisks. Finally, one night while reading more about the basilisk's deadly gaze, a cracking sound was heard. The eggs were hatching! The five baby basilisks slithered out of their broken eggshells, and snapped up the toads in one bite. One of the basilisks was small and dark-colored, and it seemed to blend into the shadows. Two appeared large and strong, but the last two, although physically not impressive, seemed the most intelligent.

**"How may we serve you, master?"** One of the intelligent basilisks asked.

**"I will tell you later, friends. For now, I need something to call you," **Harry hissed. He named the basilisk who spoke Athena, the other intelligent basilisk Hermes, the two strong basilisks Ares and Mars, and the stealthy basilisk Hades.

"Dobby! Please feed the basilisks some mice and other small animals every 6 hours," Harry asked. **"Do not hurt that creature. His name is Dobby, and he will bring you food. Practice stalking and poisoning the food he brings before eating them,"** Harry ordered the basilisks.

**"Yes, master,"** the basilisks replied, and Harry sat down in his armchair, and read books on battle strategy out loud in parseltongue to his new companions.

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Another month passed, with the basilisks growing larger and Harry reading to them each night. The summer was relatively pleasant, with a room (well, expanded trunk) he could call his own and his new friends. Athena seemed to pick up strategy quickly from the nightly stories, Ares and Mars immediately fell in love with tales of bloody fights, Hermes' sarcastic wit was somehow endearing to everyone, and Hades watched over everyone from "his" corner with stern eyes. Time was actually flying by for Harry, and even Aunt Marge's arrival failed to dampen Harry's excitement.

Aunt Marge seemed to be constantly baiting Harry, insulting him, his friends, his parents, his teachers at every opportunity, but Harry was too preoccupied with thoughts of his new friends to give Aunt Marge any heed. In fact, to "prevent him from contaminating Aunt Marge with any of his freakishness," he got even more time to spend with his basilisks in his trunk.

Two weeks after Aunt Marge's visit, in the middle of August, Harry had begun specific training for his basilisks. Ares and Mars were practicing dropping from rafters (conjured by Dobby) and glaring at targets, although the lethal gaze would not be developed until about a week after Hogwarts starts when they turned three months old. Hades was given permission to exit the trunk and try to follow Harry, slithering stealthily in shadows, through small gaps, under furniture, and on rafters. Harry continued to read strategy to Athena every night, and without Hades' watchful gaze, Hermes kept order by running around giving orders in his usual sarcastic manner, making comments like "**oh no, I slithered all the way here just to greet you, it has nothing to do with the fact you should be practicing as master said, but go ahead and chat inanely between yourselves."**

Disheartened by his failure to provoke Harry, Aunt Marge left a week before Harry's eagerly anticipated return to Hogwarts, and Harry was surprised to be sad to see her go. After her departure, Harry's list of chores lengthened, and he had less time in his trunk, but he still maintained his nightly readings with Athena, and occasionally chatted with Hades, hiding somewhere, during his chores when Petunia wasn't watching. Hades had improved drastically at sneaking, and Harry could no longer find him until he revealed himself for a chat. All of the basilisks were improving quickly and growing in size, and Harry knew he would be relocating them soon. The days ticked by, and with growing anticipation, the shortest summer yet was gone, and Harry Potter found himself unceremoniously dropped off at King's Cross, eagerly awaiting the beginning of the school year.


	3. Chapter 2: Station Revelations

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would not be writing fanfiction here.**

**AN: Harry Potter meets Amelia Bones, and realizes that something is very wrong with his guardianship. This fic will MILDLY bash Dumbledore. He will be manipulative, but truly for his idea of the greater good. As usual, if you don't like it, don't read it.**

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**Chapter 2: Station Revelations**

_The days ticked by, and with growing anticipation, the shortest summer yet was gone, and Harry Potter found himself unceremoniously dropped off at King's Cross, eagerly awaiting the beginning of the school year._

Harry Potter, carrying his now feather-light and expanded trunk, ran through a wall, which would have been odd had any muggles caught sight of him, but alas, thanks to the muggle-repelling wards, nobody saw anything out of the ordinary at King's Cross station. Moments later, Harry Potter had barreled onto the Platform, surprised to find a serious-looking woman with a monocle staring straight at him.

"Harry Potter, may I inquire as to where you have been this summer, with Sirius Black running free now, it is dangerous for you to simply be out and about," Amelia Bones asked.

"Apologies, madam, but who are you and who is Sirius Black?" Harry asked.

Amelia's eyebrows shot up, and she asked, "My name is Amelia Bones, and I am the Head of the DMLE. There are wanted posters of Sirius Black everywhere, he is on the Daily Prophet, and he is even on muggle television! Whoever your guardian is isn't doing a very good job!"

"Apologies, Madam Bones, but I am lucky if my aunt and uncle feed me enough each summer, much less able to watch the television," Harry replied.

"Outrageous! Why haven't you notified your guardian?" Amelia Bones asked.

"My aunt and my uncle are my guardians, Madam Bones, and any complaints that get filed at the child care programs have mysteriously disappeared," Harry replied.

"In the muggle world, they might be your guardians, but as muggles, they cannot hold guardianship in the wizarding world, especially not over an heir to an Ancient and Noble House like you. Who is your magical guardian?" Bones asked.

"Magical guardians? Heir to an Ancient and Noble House? What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Oh, dear," Bones exclaimed, "Your magical guardian is supposed to ensure you grew up with the knowledge of how to fulfill your lordship duties and ensure that your needs are fulfilled. Do you have any idea how to manage the finances in the Potter Vaults?"

"Vaults? As in more than one!" Harry gasped out in shock.

"You never received monthly financial statements from Gringotts?" Bones asked.

"No," Harry replied numbly.

"Do you have your keys?" Bones asked, beginning to feel dispaired. Something is extremely not right there.

"No, Hagrid took me shopping my first year, and the Weasleys took me shopping my last year. I bought supplies with some galleons I had withdrawn from my trust vault my first year," Harry replied.

"Well, here's a mirror, and I'll call you later tonight. Thankfully I have access to guardianship documents, so I'll try to sort this out," Bones said.

"Call me with the mirror?" Harry asked.

Amelia Bones pinched the bridge of her nose and replied, "Yes, it will vibrate and get warm when you have a call, and you can contact me by saying my name."

"Thank you very much!" Harry exclaimed.

"Hurry on now, you wouldn't want to miss the train," Amelia Bones said, and Harry sprinted through the train doors just before they slid closed, and the train began to move.


	4. Chapter 3: Express Distress

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would not be writing fanfiction here.**

**AN: Harry Potter meets dementors for the first time! Yay! All spells that are not seen in the books are made up by butchering Latin with the aid of Google Translate.**

**VOTE: Vote for who you want getting guardianship of Harry on my profile page!**

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**Chapter 3: Express Distress**

_Harry Potter sprinted through the train doors just before they slid closed, and the train began to move._

Harry nearly fell when the express began to move, hurriedly steadying himself with one hand, trunk in the other. He quickly entered the first compartment in sight and was greeted by the image of a shabby-looking man. Harry placed his trunk near that man's trunk, his name now revealed to be R. according to the name on the trunk, climbed in, and met with his new friends.

**"Master, you have returned early!"** Athena exclaimed joyfully.

**"Indeed, I have, Athena,"** Harry replied, "Dobby, please bring me A Study of Magical Lenses, A Compendium of Helpful Charms, and fifteen pairs of glasses"

"Great Harry Potter said please! Harry Potter is truly a great wizard!" Dobby replied in his usual joyous manner, popping away and back with the requested books and glasses.

Harry picked up five glasses, and with a quick mutter of "lumos reflectunt lensus" the image behind the glasses were mirror-imaged. The purpose of this, of course, was that the glasses reflected light, and would allow the basilisks to petrify instead of kill. Another spell, "obscuram", tinted another set of five glasses, allowing one to see through them only by one side. The last five pairs of glasses were left clear. Harry carefully placed five sets of all three types of glasses stacked on each other on a table (supplied by Dobby, nobody knows where he keeps finding these things or if he could simply conjure them). Harry carefully combined the glasses, setting the password in parseltongue. Harry then muttered "portus" at each of them, turning the glasses into portkeys. A shrinking spell later, Harry brought over the five completed set of glasses, calling the five basilisks to him.

**"Please keep these on, they will prevent you from accidentally hurting anyone. 'Tint' would switch to the tinted lenses, 'reflect' would switch to the reflective lenses, and 'clear to kill' would switch to the clear lenses. Saying 'trunk' will immediately transport you back here. Athena will have you practice with them. In about a week, your gaze will become deadly. Please have the glasses set to tint when you are not practicing with the mice Dobby brings, are we clear?"** Harry asked the basilisks.

The basilisks nodded in reply, and Harry placed a pair of glasses on each basilisk, keeping them in place with sticking charms. With all the basilisks safe and secure, Harry sat down in the armchair and continued reading Occlumency for Dummies.

Suddenly, the air in the trunk seemed to get colder, and Harry was filled with a sense of despair. He quickly exited the secret room, went up the stairs, and exited the trunk, to find the shabby man from before facing a figure in a dark cloak, holding it back with silver mist at wandpoint.

"What is going on?" Harry asked.

"Where did you come from!" the man exclaimed in surprise, whirling around. His wand stopped pointing towards the cloaked figure, and the figure entered the compartment. The air became downright frigid, and Harry could almost feel his spirits dropping like a stone. The figure pulled back its hood with skeletal fingers, revealing a horrifying face, and the next thing he knew, Harry Potter was unconscious.

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Harry jumped up with a scream ringing in his head, eyes wide after the eerie flash of green light. He looked around and immediately recognized the hospital wing from his frequent visits. He opened his mouth to ask a question, only to have a piece of chocolate shoved into his mouth by Madam Pomfrey.

"Eat the chocolate, Harry, you will feel better," she ordered.

Harry chewed on the chocolate, unable to reply, and simply nodded.

"What happened, Harry," Madam Pomfrey asked.

"There was this hooded monster in a black cloak —" Harry started.

"That's a dementor," Madam Pomfrey explained.

"There was a dementor, and it got cold and I felt really sad and then it lowered its hood and then I passed out," Harry Potter said.

"What happened before you passed out, Harry," Madam Pomfrey asked patiently.

"I heard a female scream and then there was a flash of green light, and then I was unconscious," Harry replied.

"Ah," Madam Pomfrey said, lost for words for the moment, "Eat more chocolate, I'll check on you again later."

Harry Potter took another chunk of chocolate, catching a glimpse of a billowing black cloak swish on the other side of the door.


	5. Chapter 4: Sirius Discoveries

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would not be writing fanfiction here.**

**AN: School is starting soon, but this chapter will focus on the conversation between Amelia and Harry. Yes, Snape knows what Harry's memory is, and that will come up later, just not in this chapter.**

**Update Schedule Change: I have decided that I will try to post a new chapter every day. However, I might end up skipping some days if I get too busy.**

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**Chapter 4: Sirius Discoveries**

_Harry Potter took another chunk of chocolate, catching a glimpse of a billowing black cloak swish on the other side of the door._

By the time Madam Pomfrey dismissed Harry, night has fallen, and it was time for Harry to sleep. He climbed the stairs to the portrait of the Fat Lady, who moved aside with an annoyed "you're late." Harry stepped through to find Ron and Hermione asleep, so he quickly prepared for bed, climbed into bed, pulled out Madam Bone's mirror, and said clearly to it, "Amelia Bones".

"Harry Potter, things appear to be even worse than I imagined," Amelia declared gravely, "I decided to check who your magical guardian is, and all files in the ministry indicate that Albus Dumbledore is you magical guardian. However, according to Gringotts, whose records could not be tampered with, your magical guardian is Sirius Black."

"Wait, isn't Sirius Black that escaped convict?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Apparently Gringotts never got a trial transcript, so your guardianship is still listed under Black. I thought the file is simply missing, but there was no transcript in the ministry either, and it appears he never got a trial," Amelia explained.

"Wait, how did he get my guardianship in the first place?" Harry asked.

"He's your godfather, Harry, and Bartemus Crouch Sr. as Head of the DMLE, Milicent Bagnold as the Minister of Magic, and Albus Dumbledore as the Head of the Wizengamot threw Black into Azkaban without a trial. Something appeared amiss, so I asked the goblins a few questions, and apparently as you sworn godfather it would have been impossible for him to betray the Potters," Amelia said.

"So someone framed him!" Harry exclaimed.

"I read over the information once again, and allegedly Black blew twelve muggles to pieces, and all that was found of Peter Pettigrew was a finger, nothing else, which was highly suspicious. I am aware that your father and his friends were animagi —" Amelia said.

"Animagi? What's that?" Harry asked.

"They could turn into animals. Your father could turn into a stag, Black a dog, and Peter a rat. Animagi are supposed to register, but with the corruption in the ministry and how they were in the Light side in the war, I told them not to worry about registering. Anyways, back to the point, it is incredibly likely that Peter framed Black and turned into a rat, leaving a hysterical Black behind to take the blame," Amelia said.

"Oh. Things can never be normal when it comes to my life, can't they?" Harry said.

"Anyhow, with Black on the run, our best chance of clearing his name to take guardianship of you would be to find Pettigrew. I have an image of his animagus form here, and he would probably be missing a finger," Amelia said and held up a wizarding photo of a rat scuttling about.

Harry's jaw dropped. "But ... that's Scabbers!" he exclaimed.

"Have you seen him?" Amelia asked.

"Yes, that's Ron's pet rat. His family has had it for over ten years, and it is missing a toe," Harry said, numb with shock.

"Rats don't live that long, Harry. I would love to catch that rat, but if I sent Aurors, Dumbledore would notice," Amelia said.

"We can tell Dumbledore! He'll know what to do!" Harry said.

"I'm afraid not, Harry. Dumbledore has illegally taken guardianship of you, as from what you said on the platform, he has not fulfilled his guardianship duties. He also signed off on the order to sent Black to Azkaban, despite knowing that he is innocent. He has an unhealthy interest in you, and I would not suggest catching his attentions just yet," Amelia said.

"Oh. Actually, I have a plan, and I'll probably have the rat around next week," Harry said.

"And what plan is that?" Amelia asked.

"Umm ..." Harry trailed off, realizing that breeding basilisks is illegal, and Amelia is the head of law enforcement.

Amelia sighed, "Ah well, as long as you figure it out. Catch Pettigrew, and I'll figure out the rest. I would also recommend talking to the goblins to sort out your finances, as you're supposed to be receiving monthly statements. Since you're not, I am assuming you have some type of mail ward around you, so I would recommend seeing the goblins in person instead of owling them so Dumbledore doesn't find out."

Harry nodded and deactivated the mirror numbly, reeling from the day's new surprises.

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**AN: I understand that Amelia Bones immediately figuring it all out is a bit anticlimactic, but it's honestly so obvious I can't imagine her investigating things and not figuring it out. The year will, instead of focusing on Sirius, focus on Harry training the basilisks to hunt down Pettigrew, and we'll see the basilisks in action soon.**


	6. Chapter 5: Plots to Kill a Rat

**Disclaimer: No, I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, I would not be writing fanfiction here.**

**AN: Ron and Hermione end up in a different compartment from Harry because he was in the trunk and they couldn't find him, but they were still together, Hermione still got Crookshanks, and Crookshanks still attacked Scabbers, Harry was simply not there to witness it.**

**Credit to ****Mayumiofthecherokee for the idea of having the glasses project an illusion of a normal snake.**

**_CatPeach_ — Sorry for the confusion. No, Remus is perfectly fine and not dead. After Remus is startled, the dementor goes straight for Harry and he passes out before Remus drives the dementor off. Yes, it's thin and rushed now, but I just want to get the boring part over with so we can get to the fun stuff.**

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**Chapter 5: Plots to Kill a Rat**

_Harry nodded and deactivated the mirror numbly, reeling from the day's new surprises._

Harry woke up in his bed, quickly shoved the mirror still in his hand under the pillow, pulled open the curtains, and lazily rolled out of bed. He changed, brushed his teeth, and took a shower until finally, Ron woke up.

"Where on Earth were you, mate, we couldn't find you anywhere on the express and you weren't at the Opening Feast either!" Ron exclaimed.

"A dementor got into my compartment, and Madam Pomfrey, the sadistic woman, kept me in the hospital wing for observation all day," Harry grumbled.

"Mate, you ended up in the hospital wing on the first day of school! That's a record, even for you!" Ron shouted.

"How's your rat Scabbers?" Harry asked, hoping he sounded casual.

"Fine, but 'Mione's new kneazle almost killed him, that cursed beast," Ron replied.

"Hermione got a new pet? And what's a kneazle?" Harry asked.

"A kneazle is a magical kind of a cat. That feral beast's name is Crookshanks. With that creature around, there's no way I'm letting my precious Scabbers out of sight," Ron said, oblivious to Harry's plight. Harry's thoughts immediately jumped to how to ambush Scabbers when he was alone.

"Maybe I could hang on to it for you for a bit?" Harry asked.

"It's not that I don't trust you, but I'll feel better if I keep him where I can see him," Ron replied.

Potter made a vague sound of agreement and went to the Great Hall for breakfast.

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"Harry! It is so nice to see you again, I had the most exciting summer, there is this book I read called —" Hermione said rapidly.

"Slow down, Hermione, I hear your cat had a problem with Ron's rat?" Harry asked.

"I don't know what got into Crookshanks, but the moment it saw Scabbers, it tried to attack it," Hermione said, "Kneazles are supposed to be good at sniffing out suspicious people, but Ron's rat is just a rat."

"Yes, just a rat," Harry repeated.

"I know, right? Anyhow since it's somehow my fault Crookshanks hates Scabbers, now Ron's mad at me!" Hermione huffed.

"I'll figure it out somehow. What did I miss during the welcoming speech?" Harry asked.

"Oh, nothing much. There is this escaped convict Black, and everyone seems to believe he'll be heading for Hogwarts for some reason, so now there will be dementors posted around the school. Headmaster Dumbledore wouldn't let them onto the grounds, but the ministry has insisted on surrounding the school with them. Students are advised to not provoke them or sneak out after curfew, and carry chocolate," Hermione said.

"More of them? One of them knocked me out yesterday!" Harry exclaimed.

"Knocked you out? So that's why you were missing yesterday. Hurry up, class is about to start," Hermione said.

"Who's the new DADA teacher?" Harry asked.

"Professor Lupin, the one whose robes look a little tattered," Hermione said.

"Thank you!" Harry replied.

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**AN: I will be skipping over things that happen in class unless it is particularly plot-relevant or deviates from the books**

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After a long day of classes, Harry Potter longed to collapse in bed, but he had a mission. He descended into his trunk, flipped the switch behind the books, and entered the secret room.

**"Master! You have returned!"** the basilisks chimed.

**"Indeed I have. How goes training?"** Harry asked.

Athena replied, **"Well. Ares and Mars can now drop from a high place quickly, quietly, and without looking like fools now, and nobody can find Hades most of the time. Hermes is getting a little bored though, and requested more friends."**

**"Would he be able to supervise the eggs if I breed more basilisks?"** Harry asked.

**"No, there's no way I'll be able to find the time, I am ever so busy lying around with nothing to time all the time,"** Hermes said.

**"That's a yes,"** Athena said.

**"Very well, I'll work on that. Where's Hades, by the way?"** Harry asked.

**"Somewhere. Hades, can you come out?"** Athena asked.

Hades slithered out from a patch of shadow behind the armchair, **"I'm here. Is there anything I can do for you?"**

**"Yes, actually, would you mind tailing Ron's rat Scabbers?" **Harry requested, showing him an image of Ron and Scabbers from the Prophet.

**"Of course not, just tell me where he is,"** Hades replied.

**"Thank you,"** Harry said. He cast a set of communication charms on Hades' glasses and an earring which he disillusioned and placed Hades on his shoulder.

**"We'll be able to talk even when we're apart now, so tell me if anything suspicious happens,"** Harry ordered.

Harry carefully picked Athena up and cast another charm he found from the books Dobby has been bringing on his glasses. Athena shimmered a bit, and then his eyes dulled a little, the glasses disappeared, and the patterns on his scales changed colors until he resembled a perfectly ordinary snake.

**"You will be the new pet that I picked up after discovering my abilities as a parseltongue as protection against the dangerous escaped convict,"** Harry told Athena, **"Please keep the glasses, which are still there, just invisible, on tinted so that you don't accidentally hurt anyone."**

**"Of course, master," **Athena replied.

**"Good. Hermes, you're in charge for now. Make sure Ares and Mars are still practicing, and I'll drop by to breed some more basilisks soon," **Harry said.

**"Sure,"** Hermes replied in the affirmative, slithering off to where Ares and Marse were still practicing dropping from high places, occasionally falling weird but thankfully unhurt thanks to a few cushioning charms.

Harry picked up Athena and placed him on his other shoulder, and climbed out of the trunk. He gently pointed out Ron, with Scabbers on his pillow, to Hades, who disappeared in a shadow under his bed. Harry cast a warming charm on one of the bedposts, and Athena curled around it, softly falling asleep, and soon Harry was in Morpheus's embrace as well.

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**AN: Yes, there will be more basilisks coming soon! Hades is tailing Pettigrew, and Athena is staying with Harry. The next chapter will acknowledge Snape's presence near the hospital wing, and the hunt for Pettigrew will officially begin.**


End file.
